


In Love with What We Could Have Been

by cozune



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Police, Crime AU, F/F, M/M, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 11:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12556248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cozune/pseuds/cozune
Summary: Leo finds the ghost of his partner. Y'know. The one he thought was dead.





	In Love with What We Could Have Been

**Author's Note:**

> ੧| ￣︶￣; |੭  
> t h e l a w i s c o n f u s i n g  
> I had an idea and I rushed it :))))  
> tumblr: @cozune

Leo de la Iglesia wasn't arrogant nor was he pretentious. He was just good at his job. He was the toast of Chicago. By "toast of Chicago" it was more accurately depicted as "toast of the local police department", but even police officers need their demigods and idols. Despite coming from a rather large family with barely enough to support themselves, Leo made it with the determination and passion that bound him to success. Many called him the protégé of the department, hired at the tender age of twenty-four and already working his way into the Gang Investigation Division. He was good.

But there was someone better. Many didn't really take notice of it but Leo knew that he was better. Ji Guang-Hong, his current partner and best friend throughout the academy, was shy and innocent but he wasn't naive. He used that to his advantage and Leo knew nearly everything about him. You pick up a lot about someone after living in the same room for a few years considering they were flatmates for a good amount of time during high school.

Even knowing linear facts about him didn't really help with profiling. Guang-Hong never made much sense to Leo, now that he thought about it. He was like two different people meshed into one. He could be unbelievably sarcastic and incoherently smug but he was also awkwardly sweet and unwaveringly motivated with seemingly boundless energy. He graduated top of the class, of course, as a resultant of natural aptitude and the general want to become an officer.

Guang-Hong never spoke much about his family of whom he left in Shanghai but Leo knew better than to broach the topic.

The day had been busy, arresting a man under the charges of high-profile, grisly murders and battery as well as a woman who almost bit Michele's arm and a runaway teenager with a concealed pocket knife. Naturally, they were all tired and had to settle down for any paperwork dumped on them by the lieutenant.

"Where's Emil?" Leo looked up from his desk to see Sara wandering around.

"I haven't seen him since Morrow's arrest." Guang-Hong responded, his mouth full from his gigantic bite into his sandwich. "Probably checking out forensic reports." A few crumbs of bread slipped past his lips and onto his desk.

"Dammit. He took my coffee." Sara scowled and leaned on Mila melodramatically, "I don't know what I'll do now. I'll die without it."

Mila laughed. She tugged Sara down and kissed her, "My beloved, I shall give you life with a kiss."

Sara reached over, placing her hand on the back of Mila's neck to push them closer, "I think I need another one just in case-."

Michele pretended to gag as his sister trailed kisses down her girlfriend's arm. "Stop it, both of you. Get a room."

"Trust me, Mickey. You and Emil do much worse." Sara stuck out her tongue and exaggerated her shudder. "I'm traumatized. Like that one time with the pen and the chocolate-." Leo laughed as Guang-Hong choked on a piece of lettuce at Sara's words and Michele slamming on his desk with a flushed face.

"Where should I put this?" a sudden voice asked next to Leo.

Leo yelped and fell out of his chair, causing the entire to department to look at him. He turned red with embarrassment as he stood up to place the chair back. "You can set it down by the staircase, Otabek. Thanks."

Otabek Altin wasn't a police officer. Instead, he was a delivery man with a knack for crossword puzzles and puns. The group seldom saw him at work but knew how to contact him. Guang-Hong was a social media addict and found Otabek's profile in the matter of minutes as well as-

"So how's Yuri?" Mila smiled as Otabek placed the boxes down.

"He's doing well. He still has to study for a few exams." Otabek mumbled a response as he adjusted his hat sheepishly. "I was planning on taking him out for dinner... for his birthday." Yuri Plisetsky was a sophomore in college, twenty and already angry about life. Otabek was about five or six years older than him so there were times when his work and Yuri's school clashed with each other. Leo was pretty sure they hadn't seen each other in weeks and it was already killing them.

"Getting your romance on, huh?" Sara grinned as the tip of Otabek's nose started to bloom red. "Good planning, my good sir. Since Victor and Yuuri are on their honeymoon you don't have to worry about their protective parent spying, right?" She laughed as Otabek's face completely turned red and pat him hard on the shoulder.

Sara would ramble on about what kinds of restaurants he should go on, examples of outfits that Michele wore to look masculine even without a binder, where the best places to go afterwards, and the quickest way to get there for quite some time. Otabek even knew that he was going to be there for some time and took Emil's crossword puzzle book that lay on Michele's desk and continued to scribble down answers but nodding occasionally at her words. Leo turned away to the papers on his desk. If he were to keep listening, she would start to direct all that advice towards him and ask if he even had anyone to go with.

Leo never paid attention to the whims of a love life. Hell, he was still a virgin and the furthest he had ever gone to any remotely romantic intimacy was a kiss with Guang-Hong during  _Truth or Dare_. That was hardly romantic but it was still a gesture. Guang-Hong was often teased about his romantic life as well and... Leo had to admit he was curious but he wasn't crude. It's just something that they didn't talk about as friends. Leo was one of those people who believed in fate and, you know, common courtesy. There were some things that you couldn't control and there were some things that you couldn't say. There was a line between the two and he didn't plan on crossing it.

"What about you, Leo?" Mila gazed over at him as Sara continued to speak to Otabek, "Any recent romantic endeavors?"

Leo laughs, "You know I don't think about things like that."

Mila waved her hand, "Ah yes. You're so keen on moving your career forward and all." She leapt forward at him, "But there's more to life than work, de la Iglesia! Go out and live a little! Do something you love tonight! Do something you'd regret tomorrow! Who cares? Go and be indulgent!" She pointed towards the door, facing away from him for a more stoic effect.

He waved the papers in her face, "We still have to file paperwork, remember?"

"Afterwards then!" Mila said, grinning at him, "With your good looks, you might get yourself a lucky girl or guy so we could stop teasing you." She pinched his cheek. He almost didn't catch Guang-Hong choking on his sandwich again.

"Guang-Hong? Are you okay?" Leo asked, lightly slapping Mila's hand away and leaning over to his friend's desk. "You keep choking. I know you're hungry but you should really slow down."

Guang-Hong beat his hand against his chest to down the bite and coughed, "I'm fine. I just swallowed too quickly." His face was starting to turn red. Leo raised an eyebrow and looked closer. Maybe he was coming down with a cold. " You can stop worrying. I'm gay okay." Guang-Hong said staring into his sandwich. Leo paused and Mila put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Guang-Hong quickly turned red and scrambled to fix what he said, "I mean A okay! I'm not gay! I'm-." He trailed off and stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth as if he was telling himself to shut up.

"Hey, Guang-Hong, it's okay you're gay. I'm still be your friend nonetheless." Leo smiled reassuringly. He saw Guang-Hong nod before Sara put her hands over his eyes.

"Leo go to your desk. I think Guang-Hong will choke again if you stay here." Sara said as she pushed Leo back to his desk.

Mila leaned over on Guang-Hong's desk, "Hey, you finally told him." Guang-Hong made a muffled exclamation with his mouth still full. "Shush and listen, Guang-Hong. Do you hear that?" She cupped her ear and Guang-Hong stayed silent, leaning in to hear whatever she was referring to. "Those are the winds of change." 

* * *

This was the place.

There have been multiple reports of shootouts and robberies in this area with a history of drug busts and trafficking rings. Leo knew that he and Guang-Hong could manage this. Michele had been working undercover for nearly a month and they were sure this was the meeting of an infamous gang that has connections all over the world. Guang-Hong had stiffened at the mention of the gang and said they originated from Shanghai. _"I lost my brother to that group."_ he had said _"I almost got caught into it too before I came to America."_

This wasn't a different scenario than any of their investigations previously. Busting a gang is just what their department did.

Then it was different.

They were expecting them.

Three men were down. Two were possibly killed. Leo had their blood on his hands, sticky agains the gun as he pointed towards their moving car. He needed to shoot out the tires. He needed to stop them. He missed the shot. It was only afterwards when they were counting heads, Leo realized Guang-Hong was missing. There was blood that matched his.

But they never found his body.

Five months later Ji Guang-Hong was proclaimed dead.

* * *

Three years had passed since they lost Guang-Hong. What was left now was a sense of melancholy.

The first months after the official proclamation were terrible. Their little group of friends grew a little darker. It didn't seem lively enough. Emil would try to brighten the mood but fell flat every time and retreated back into the forensics lab to finish his case reports. Sara would stare down at her work and focus solely on that because if she stared at Guang-Hong's desk for too long she'd start to cry. Mila and Michele would try to act strong and try to say "He's in a better place" but eventually they stopped because it wasn't going to help. Leo didn't feel anything. He walked into the station and he felt numb. It didn't feel real to think that Guang-Hong, his best friend, partner, and he was gone.

Now years later, they didn't talk about it. A woman named Minako filled in for Guang-Hong. She was a great partner and a great person.

Leo still saw Guang-Hong at his desk sometimes.

* * *

 

This time he was on his own. Leo had taken the time to go undercover and only extract information. That was all that they needed before getting a warrant and busting down the place. Who knew one of the top gang's lairs was an office building in the middle of the city. This wasn't his district. He wasn't supposed to be there. No doubt, this would result in piles of paperwork and a demotion. Even if he knew that the lieutenant knew that he would be here, brash decisions were going to be his downfall. Leo didn't want what happened to Guang-Hong to happen to anyone else again.

He tried to avoid detection.

Didn't work.

In the end, he had to fight his way to the top. There were going to be noise complaints.

The inside of the office building was standard and bleak. There were no signs of gang activity most likely due to the fact that it was used as a regular office as a front. But what was stranger was that no one was there. For the lair of a gang it was strangely empty. Leo had wandered up eighteen floors, hearing the sirens of the patrol cars and the murmuring stream of chatter amongst the police officers from the nearest station outside. Backup was here and perhaps for nothing. And then Leo found a ghost.

"Hi."

Leo couldn't move. Standing a few yards away from him at the door leading to the staircase, was Ji Guang-Hong with an uncharacteristically tidy outfit and unarmed and  _alive_.

"I know you're probably wondering why I'm alive right now." Guang-Hong laughed sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning red. He looked down at the ground and deeply inhaled and sighed as if he was trying to maintain the unbefitting emotionless drag, "I had to deal with... family issues." Then it clicked.

"You're in the gang?"

"We prefer the term 'mafia'. It kinda makes us sound less like thugs and more like classy spies, you know?" Guang-Hong corrected with a small pout, "But, no, I'm the spine for this organization. Just an assassin that keeps things in check. It's a family thing." His eyes had a fire in them that Leo saw in the academy. Then his voice lowered and he suddenly sounded more like himself again, "I did want to be a cop. I really did. But that's just not how life worked out for me."

"It can work out. Turn yourself in and-."

"No... It won't work out like that...I can't. Sorry." Guang-Hong threw a smoke bomb, the hallway filling with red smoke. It wasn't meant to cause any harm. It was more like those smoke bombs kids made when Leo was little. Leo was confused for a moment before dashing upon the realization: He was going to the roof.

"Guang-Hong!" He called, his voice resonating in the stairwell. Guang-Hong's footsteps pounding against each step.

The building was about twenty stories high. There was no where to go that is, if he was going to jump-.  _No._ Leo slammed the door open to the sight of the bright lights of Chicago's night, the crisp wind, open sky and stars with a few clouds rolling in, and Guang-Hong standing on the edge of the building.

"Don't." Leo said loudly.

"Are you going to shoot me then?"

Leo was silent and hesitantly set his gun on the ground, kicking it away from arms reach. "No. I'm not. I can't shoot you." He walked closer, slowly as Guang-Hong swayed slightly. "I could never."

"You're kidding me." Guang-Hong's face looked desperate, his voice shaking.

"No. I'm not. Just... tell me why?"

Guang-Hong paused, biting his lip and wringing his hands anxiously. Guang-Hong's eyes were watery, " 'Why?' " His voice was soft and shaking, "If I didn't go back to join... they.... They said they'd kill you." His voice wavered and he wiped furiously at his eyes as a buzzing sound started softly in the distance, "They told me they knew about you... and Mila and Sara and Mickey and Emil and...... They would have killed you if I didn't. I don't want to do this. I hate this. I don't-"

Leo was close enough and held his hand, "You can come back. I know this isn't you. We'll protect you. We can stop them. I can stop them from reaching you." The buzzing was starting to become louder.

Guang-Hong took a deep breath and knelt down, the ledge he was standing on made him taller. "No. We can't." He leaned in and brushed his lips to Leo's cheek, so lightly and so softly it could barely classify as a kiss. The buzzing was nearly deafening. "We really can't. Just let me be the hero this time, Leo."

He jumped.

Leo gasped and went to the ledge only to find Guang-Hong hanging off of a rope ladder off of a helicopter that started to rise up.

Guang-Hong gave a small, sad smile before saluting just like they did in the academy, "It was a pleasure, Mr. de la Iglesia."

As the distance between them grew and the helicopter was starting to drift farther away, Guang-Hong climbing into it, Leo tightened his hands into fists and yelled, "I'm going to play the hero next time, Guang-Hong! I'll save you."

* * *

Guang-Hong's cellphone rang, jarring him out of his nap. He groaned when he saw the number. It was his dumb bodyguard, "Hello?" He said, sleep still in his voice.

"I have news."

His family decided to hire a bodyguard after the incident with Leo. Apparently they thought the situation was too dangerous in which he was almost arrested.Then his father found out about his history with Leo. From then on, their people have been investigating Leo to make sure that there weren't any ways he could blackmail Guang-Hong. He wouldn't do that. Other than the fact that Leo was his best friend and the person he just happened to be in love with, Guang-Hong was fine and completely safe from threats. Guang-Hong knew that Leo would show up... he just thought he'd be more prepared for it. 

There was always news. "Yes?"

What was for dinner? Or was it lunchtime? Maybe he would have to get take out again.

"Leo de la Iglesia has been shot."

"What?" Guang-Hong put a hand on the desk to steady himself as the words processed in his head. A breath caught in his throat and his heart dropped. Every reminder of who Leo was spilled out in his mind: His roommate who would help him study for exams. His best friend who would hold his hands without being awkward during a horror movie. His partner who would always have his back at work and take the blame for his mistakes and file the paperwork that should have been his. Memories that could be buried with him- no. Leo wasn't dead yet. The bodyguard was silent to hear his response. He would have said if he was dead or not. "Is he alive?"

"For now. The next twenty-four hours are going to be crucial. We'll be lucky if he dies during surgery but if he doesn't, we'll have to do it in the hospital."

Guang-Hong felt his grip tighten on the phone, "Where did they take him?"

"Are you planning on killing him?"

"I'm an assassin. Of course I am."

The bodyguard was hesitant, "But your connections with him..."

"Aren't important anymore." Guang-Hong spat the biggest lie he had ever told, "I hate him."

The silence on the other end of the phone made Guang-Hong anxious until the gruff voice replied, "UChicago Medical Center."

"I'll be there."

~

By the time Guang-Hong reached the hospital, Leo was still in surgery.

~

Leo was in surgery for seven hours before being admitted to the critical care unit.

Even if he was awake, Guang-Hong knew that the organization would eventually try to find him. It felt like every hour that passed brought Leo closer to an awful fate, an irreversible act, death itself either way.  _Not Leo. Not him. Please._

"So it's true." Emil's face looked red. He was crying. "You really are alive." Behind him was Michele, Sara, Mila, and Otabek. "You're really here. After all this time..."

Guang-Hong felt the guilt pent up in his chest start to rise again, his voice was shaking again, "I'm alive. And... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I had to-."

They hugged him. Michele was crying the loudest in angry Italian with Sara and Mila rambling on about how he could be here and what happened to Leo, and Emil was uncharacteristically quiet. Then Guang-Hong realized that Leo didn't tell them about what he had been doing. Why he left in the first place. If he didn't tell them then he certainly didn't tell anyone else.

"Are you all here to see Mr. de la Iglesia?" A nurse interrupted, "He is now open for visitors."

Guang-Hong declined to go in. He couldn't bear to look at Leo until Michele walked out and smacked his arm, "He's waiting for you, y'know." Michele scowled, "And you owe all of us an explanation."

"O-okay." Guang-Hong stammered before standing. His legs felt shaky. He felt like he was missing something. As if he forgot to do something. Maybe if he brought flowers or something it would make him feel better walking into Leo's room instead of an emergency concealed weapon in case the organization tries to break in again.

The door wasn't even opened but Guang-Hong could hear the loud chatter of voices inside. Through the small window he could see that Mila was lecturing Leo to be safer, Sara sounded like she was about to cry, and Emil was asking how he was before trailing off into soft hiccups. Otabek was video chatting with Yuri, Victor, Yuuri, and Phichit. All of them were crowded onto his phone and asking multiple questions about his current state. And Leo... He looked tired. He was still smiling. He was always smiling and he was always there to support them and they were there for him. Michele opened the door and looked at Guang-Hong expectantly. He stepped inside.

"Hey."

"Hi."

 

 


End file.
